Analyzer

ABSTRACT

An analyzer comprising: a first specimen holder configured to hold a plurality of first specimen containers; a conveying assembly for conveying the first specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a second specimen holder arranged at a position higher than an upper end of the first specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a holder moving assembly for moving the second specimen holder so as to pass the upper side of at least one of the first specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a container transferring assembly for transferring at least one of the first specimen containers from the first specimen holder to the second specimen holder; and a controller for controlling the holder moving assembly and the container transferring assembly, is disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese PatentApplication Nos. JP2008-169915 filed Jun. 30, 2008, and JP2009-032162filed Feb. 16, 2009, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by references.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an analyzer capable of measuring acontinuous measurement specimen measured successively, and a priorityspecimen measured in preference to the continuous measurement specimen.

BACKGROUND

An analyzer including a continuous measurement specimen holderconfigured to be able to hold a plurality of specimen containersaccommodating the specimen to be continuously measured, and a priorityspecimen holder configured to be able to hold a specimen containeraccommodating the priority specimen measured in preference to thespecimen to be continuously measured is known (see e.g., US PatentPublication No. 2007-110617).

US Patent Publication No. 2007-110617 discloses an analyzer including aholding mount setting portion configured to be able to hold a pluralityof specimen containers accommodating the specimen to be continuouslymeasured, and a sample container setting portion configured to be ableto hold a specimen container accommodating the priority specimenmeasured in preference to the specimen to be continuously measured. Thisanalyzer is able to respond to measurement of both the continuousmeasurement specimen to be continuously measured and the priorityspecimen to be measured in preference to the continuous measurementspecimen, and the sample container setting portion moves to a positionwhere the specimen container accommodating the priority specimen is setthrough the side of the holding mount setting portion when setting thespecimen container accommodating the priority specimen in the samplecontainer setting portion.

However, in the analyzer described in US Patent Publication No.2007-110617, the measurement of both the continuous measurement specimento be continuously measured and the priority specimen to be measured inpreference to the continuous measurement specimen can be responded, andthe sample container setting portion is moved to a position where thespecimen container accommodating the priority specimen is set throughthe side of the holding mount setting portion, and thus a space occupiedby the holding mount setting portion and a space necessary when thesample container setting portion moves need to be separately arranged inplan view. Thus, there is a problem that the installation area of theanalyzer increases.

The analyzer described in US Patent Publication No. 2007-110617 isconfigured to move the specimen container held by the holding mountsetting portion in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction by acontainer transferring mechanism to be set in the sample containersetting portion and to aspirate the specimen set in the sample containersetting portion, when measuring the continuous measurement specimen.

However, the analyzer described in US Patent Publication No. 2007-110617is configured to move the specimen container held by the holding mountsetting portion in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction by acontainer transferring mechanism to be set in the sample containersetting portion, and thus the container transferring mechanism needs tomove in the horizontal direction on the upper side of the specimencontainer held by the holding mount setting portion. Therefore, thecontainer transferring mechanism interferes with the sample containersetting portion if the installation area of the analyzer is reduced byarranging the sample container setting portion on the upper side of theholding mount setting portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The scope of the present invention is defined solely by the appendedclaims, and is not affected to any degree by the statements within thissummary.

A first aspect of the present invention is an analyzer comprising: afirst specimen holder configured to hold a plurality of first specimencontainers accommodating a continuous measurement specimen to becontinuously measured; a conveying assembly for conveying the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a second specimenholder arranged at a position higher than an upper end of the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder and configured tohold at least one of the first specimen containers and a second specimencontainer accommodating a priority measurement specimen to be measuredin preference to the continuous measurement specimen; a holder movingassembly for moving the second specimen holder so as to pass the upperside of at least one of the first specimen containers held in the firstspecimen holder; a container transferring assembly for transferring atleast one of the first specimen containers from the first specimenholder to the second specimen holder; and a controller for controllingthe holder moving assembly and the container transferring assembly toexecute steps of: raising at least one of the first specimen containersheld in the first specimen holder to the upper side of the secondspecimen holder in a state the second specimen holder does not exist onthe upper side, moving the second specimen holder to the lower side ofthe raised first specimen container, and setting the first specimencontainer in the second specimen holder by lowering the first specimencontainer.

A second aspect of the present invention is an analyzer comprising: afirst specimen holder configured to hold a plurality of first specimencontainers accommodating a continuous measurement specimen to becontinuously measured; a conveying assembly for conveying the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a second specimenholder arranged at a position higher than an upper end of the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder and configured tohold a second specimen container accommodating a priority measurementspecimen to be measured in preference to the continuous measurementspecimen; and a holder moving assembly for moving the second specimenholder so as to pass the upper side of at least one of the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder.

A third aspect of the present invention is an analyzer comprising: afirst specimen holder configured to hold a plurality of first specimencontainers accommodating a continuous measurement specimen to becontinuously measured; a second specimen holder arranged at a positionhigher than an upper end of the first specimen containers held in thefirst specimen holder and configured to hold at least one of the firstspecimen containers and a second specimen container accommodating apriority measurement specimen to be measured in preference to thecontinuous measurement specimen; a holder moving assembly for moving thesecond specimen holder so as to pass the upper side of at least one ofthe first specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; acontainer transferring assembly for transferring at least one of thefirst specimen containers from the first specimen holder to the secondspecimen holder; and an aspiration section for aspirating the specimenfrom the first and the second specimen containers set in the secondspecimen holder; wherein the holder moving assembly is configured tomove the second specimen holder to a position where the specimen isaspirated by the aspiration section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a bloodanalyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view describing details of each unit of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a measurement unit and a specimenconveying device of the blood analyzer according to one embodiment shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the measurement unit and thespecimen conveying device of the blood analyzer according to oneembodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a rack and a long vial of the bloodanalyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a microtube of the blood analyzeraccording to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a specimenaspiration section of the blood analyzer according to one embodimentshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a specimen setting portion of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a sample containertransfer section and a fixing holder of the blood analyzer according toone embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a view describing the position of the movement portion of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a fixing holder ofthe blood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the fixing holderof the blood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is view describing a configuration of the fixing holder of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is view describing the configuration of the fixing holder of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a plan view describing a specimen conveying device of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a side view describing the specimen conveying device of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a side view describing the specimen conveying device of theblood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram describing a control device of the bloodanalyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a view showing a priority specimen measurement instructionscreen of the blood analyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart describing a measurement processing operation bythe measurement process program of the blood analyzer according to oneembodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart describing the operation in the priority specimenmeasurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodiment shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a state diagram describing the operation in the priorityspecimen measurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodimentshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 23 is a state diagram describing the operation in the priorityspecimen measurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodimentshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 24 is a state diagram describing the operation in the priorityspecimen measurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodimentshown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 25 is a state diagram describing the operation in the priorityspecimen measurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodimentshown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be describedhereinafter with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a bloodanalyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2to 19 are views describing the details of each unit of the bloodanalyzer according to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1. First, the overallconfiguration of the blood analyzer 1 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19. Inthe present embodiment, a case in which the present invention is appliedto the blood analyzer serving as one example of the analyzer will bedescribed.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a sample container100 for accommodating blood, which is a specimen, includes a long vial101 (see FIG. 5), which is a specimen container of a vertically longshape, having a rubber sealing lid 101 a, and a microtube 102 (see FIG.6), which is a specimen container for mainly accommodating a smallamount of specimen, smaller than the long vial 101. In the descriptionof the present embodiment, description is made using “sample container100” to include both the long vial 101 and the microtube 102 whencorresponding to both the long vial 101 and the microtube 102, anddescription is made using the “long vial 101” or the “microtube 102”when corresponding to only one of the long vial 101 or the microtube102.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blood analyzer 1 according to the presentembodiment includes two measurement units, first measurement unit 2 andsecond measurement unit 3, a specimen conveying device (sampler) 4arranged on the front surface side (side on direction of arrow Y1) ofthe first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3, and acontrol device 5 including a PC (personal computer) electricallyconnected to the first measurement unit 2, the second measurement unit3, and the specimen conveying device 4. The blood analyzer 1 isconnected to a host computer 6 (see FIG. 3) by the control device 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the first measurement unit 2 and the secondmeasurement unit 3 are measurement units of substantially the same type,and are arranged adjacent to each other. Specifically, in the presentembodiment, the second measurement unit 3 measures the specimen for thesame measurement item by using the same measurement principle as thefirst measurement unit 2. Furthermore, the second measurement unit 3performs measurement on the measurement item that is not analyzed by thefirst measurement unit 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the first measurement unit2 and the second measurement unit 3 respectively include specimenaspiration sections 21, 31 for aspirating the blood, which is thespecimen, from a sample container (test tube) 100, sample preparationsections 22, 32 for preparing the detection sample from the bloodaspirated by the specimen aspiration sections 21, 31, and detectionsections 23, 33 for detecting the blood cells of the blood from thedetection sample prepared by the sample preparation sections 22, 32.

Each of the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3also includes unit covers 24, 34 for interiorly accommodating thespecimen aspiration sections 21, 31 and the sample preparation sections22, 32; sample container conveying sections 25, 35 for retrieving thesample container 100 inside the unit covers 24, 34 and conveying thesample container 100 to aspiration positions 600, 700 (see FIG. 3) bythe specimen aspiration sections 21, 31; presence detection sections 26,36 for detecting the presence of the long vial 101 conveyed to theinside by the sample container conveying sections 25, 35; and fixingholders 27, 37 for fixedly holding the long vial 101 at the aspirationpositions 600 and 700 (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on theouter surface of front surface portions 241, 341 of the unit covers 24,34, specimen setting portion open/close buttons 28, 38, priorityspecimen measurement start buttons 29, 39, and openings 241 a, 341 athrough which movement portions 255 d, 355 d, to be hereinafterdescribed, of the sample container conveying sections 25, 35 pass arerespectively arranged.

As shown in FIG. 7, the specimen aspiration sections 21 and 31 includepipettes 211 and 311, and pipette movement portions 212, 312,respectively. The pipettes 211 and 311 have the distal ends formed suchthat the sealing lid 101 a (see FIG. 5), to be hereinafter described, ofthe long vial 101 can be passed through. The pipette movement portions212 and 312 have a function of moving the pipettes 211 and 311 in avertical direction (direction of arrows Z1 and Z2), respectively. Thepipette movement portions 212 and 312 have horizontal arms 213, 313 forfixedly holding the pipettes 211, 311, screw shafts 214, 314 passingthrough the horizontal arms 213, 313 in the vertical direction(direction of arrows Z1 and Z2), and nut 215, 315 to be screwed to thescrew shafts 214, 314, respectively. Furthermore, the pipette movementportions 212 and 312 each has slide rails 216, 316 arranged parallel(direction of arrows Z1 and Z2) to the screw shafts 214, 314, slidablemembers 217, 317 slidably attached to the slide rails 216, 316, andstepping motors 218, 318. The horizontal arms 213, 313 are fixed to thenuts 215, 315 and the slidable members 217, 317, respectively.

Pulleys 214 a, 314 a are attached to the upper ends of the screw shafts214, 314, respectively. Pulleys 218 a, 318 a are attached to outputshafts of the stepping motors 218, 318, respectively. Annularly formedtiming belts 219, 319 are turnably stretched between the pulleys 214 a,314 a and the pulleys 218 a, 318 a. The rotational drive of the steppingmotor 218 (318) is transmitted to the screw shaft 214 (314) via thetiming belt 219 (319) to thereby rotate the screw shaft 214 (314), sothat the horizontal arm 213 (313) moves in the vertical direction(direction of arrows Z1 and Z2). The pipette 211 (311) is moved in thevertical direction (direction of arrows Z1 and Z2) with the movement inthe vertical direction (direction of arrows Z1 and Z2) of the horizontalarm 213 (313).

The stepping motor 218 (318) is configured to be able to fluctuate therotary torque according to the supplied current value (magnitude ofdrive pulse). The stepping motor 218 (318) is configured to losesynchronism when a load of greater than or equal to the rotary torque ofthe motor is applied. Specifically, the stepping motor 218 (318) iscontrolled such that the rotary torque becomes small when aspirating theblood accommodated in the microtube 102 (see FIG. 6) compared to whenaspirating the blood accommodated in the long vial 101 (see FIG. 5), andis configured to lose synchronism when the distal end of the pipette 211(311) contacts the bottom portion of the microtube 102. Thus, themicrotube 102 can be prevented from being damaged even if the distal endof the pipette 211 (311) contacts the bottom portion of the microtube102. The specimen accommodated in the microtube 102 of smallaccommodation capacity can be aspirated barely without waste by thespecimen aspiration section 21 (31) by causing the distal end of thepipette 211 (311) to reach the bottom portion of the microtube 102.

When aspirating the blood accommodated in the long vial 101 of largeraccommodation capacity than the microtube 102, the stepping motor 218(318) is controlled to lower the pipette 211 (311) at a predeterminedrotary torque, and after the pipette 211 (311) passes through thesealing lid 101 a, to lower the pipette until the distal end reaches thevicinity of the bottom portion of the long vial 101. In this case, thepipette 211 (311) stops the movement immediately before the distal endcontacts the bottom portion of the long vial 101, unlike to the case ofthe microtube 102. Thus, when aspirating the blood accommodated in thelong vial 101, the pipette 211 (311) does not contact the bottom portionof the long vial 101, and thus the long vial 101 is not damaged by thepipette 211 (311). The stepping motor 218 (318) is configured such thatthe rotation speed fluctuates according to the frequency of the drivepulse.

The detection sections 23 and 33 are configured to perform RBC detection(detection of red blood cells) and PLT detection (detection of platelet)through the sheath flow DC detection method, and perform HGB detection(detection of blood pigment in blood) through the SLS-hemoglobin method.The detection sections 23 and 33 are also configured to perform WBCdetection (detection of white blood cells) through the flow cytometrymethod using a semiconductor laser.

The detection results obtained in the detection sections 23 and 33 aretransmitted to the control device 5 as measurement data (measurementresult) of the specimen. The measurement data is data that serves as thefinal analysis result (number of red blood cells, number of platelets,hemoglobin amount, number of white blood cells, and the like) providedto the user.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sample container conveying sections 25 and 35include, hand portions 251, 351 capable of gripping the long vial 101,open/close portions 252, 352 for opening/closing the hand portions 251,351 so as to grip the long vial 101, vertical movement portions 253, 353for linearly moving the hand portions 251, 351 in the vertical direction(direction of arrows Z1 and Z2), and stirring portion 254, 354 formoving the hand portions 251, 351 in a pendulum-form in the verticaldirection (direction of arrows Z1 and Z2), respectively. Furthermore,the sample container conveying sections 25 and 35 include samplecontainer transfer sections 255, 355 for substantially horizontallymoving the sample container 100 in the directions of the arrows Y1 andY2, and barcode readers 256, 356, respectively, as shown in FIG. 3.

The hand portion 251 (351) is arranged on the upper side of theconveyance path of a rack 110 conveyed by the specimen conveying device4. The hand portions 251 and 351 are each configured to move downward(direction of arrow Z2) when the long vial 101 is conveyed to a firstprovision 43 a and a second provision position 43 b (see FIG. 3), to behereinafter described, by the specimen conveying device 4, and then tobe opened/closed by the open/close portions 252, 352 to grip the longvial 101 accommodated in the rack 110. In this case, the movementportion 255 d (355 d), to be hereinafter described, of the samplecontainer transfer section 255 (355) is accommodated on the back side(side on direction of arrow Y2) than the front surface portion 241 (341)of the unit cover 24 (34), and thus the movement to the lower side ofthe hand portion 251 (351) is not inhibited.

The hand portion 251 (351) is configured to take out the gripped longvial 101 from the rack 110 by moving to the upper side (direction ofarrow Z1), and thereafter, to be moved (e.g., ten rounds) in thependulum-form by the stirring portion 254 (354). The hand portion 251(351) thus can stir the blood in the gripped long vial 101. Afterterminating the stirring, the hand portion 251 (351) moves to the lowerside (direction of arrow Z2), and releases the gripping of the long vial101 by the open/close portion 252 (352). Specifically, the hand portion251 (351) is configured to set the long vial 101 at a first specimensetting portion 255 a (355 a) moved to the specimen set position 610(710) (see FIG. 3) by the sample container transfer section 255 (355).The hand portion 251 (351) thus can transfer the long vial 101 from therack 101 to the first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) by movingthe long vial 101 in the up and down directions (direction of arrows Z1and Z2) at substantially the same position in plan view. As shown inFIG. 3, in plan view, the first provision position 43 a and the specimenset position 610 are arranged to overlap, and the second provisionposition 43 b and the specimen set position 710 are arranged to overlap.

The above operation of taking out the long vial 101 from the rack 110conveyed by the specimen conveying device 4, and setting the same in thefirst specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) is executed by controllingthe stepping motor 253 a (353 a) for moving the hand portion 251 (351)up and down, a stepping motor 431 e for driving a first belt 431, and astepping motor 432 e for driving a second belt 432 (see FIG. 4) by theCPU 51 a to be hereinafter described.

In other words, the CPU 51 a first executes the process of conveying thelong vial 101 to the first provision position 43 a (43 b) by thespecimen conveying device 4. When the movement portion 255 d (355 d) isnot present on the upper side of the first provision position 43 a (43b), the CPU 51 a executes the process of gripping the long vial 101 bymeans of the hand portion 251 (351), raising the long vial 101 until thelower end of the long vial 101 is positioned on the upper side than theupper end face of the first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a), andstirring the long vial 101. The CPU 51 a then executes the process ofmoving the movement portion 255 d (355 d) until the first specimensetting portion 255 a (355 d) is positioned immediately below the raisedlong vial 101. The CPU 51 a executes the process of lowering the handportion 251 (351) and releasing the gripping to set the long vial 101 inthe first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 d). The CPU 51 a thenexecutes the process of moving the movement portion 255 d (355 d) untilthe long vial 101 set in the first specimen setting portion 255 a (355d) is positioned at the aspiration position 600 (700).

The open/close portion 252 (352) is configured to open/close the handportion 251 (351) so as to grip the long vial 101 by the power of theair cylinder 252 a (352 a).

The vertical movement portion 253 (353) is configured to move the handportion 251 (351) in the vertical direction (direction of arrows Z1 andZ2) along the rail 253 b (353 b) by the power of the stepping motor 253a (353 a).

The stirring portion 254 (354) is configured to move the hand portion251 (351) in the pendulum-form in the vertical direction (direction ofarrows Z1 and Z2) by the power of a stepping motor (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, sample container transfer sections 255 and355 include the first specimen setting portions 255 a, 355 a, the secondspecimen setting portions 255 b, 355 b arranged on the front side (sideon direction of arrow Y1) than the first specimen setting portions 255a, 355 a, the movement portions 255 d, 355 d attached with such twospecimen setting portions by way of the adapters 255 c, 355 c, thestepping motors 255 e, 355 e (see FIG. 9), and the annular timing belts255 f, 355 f (see FIG. 9), respectively.

As shown in FIG. 9, pulleys 255 g and 355 g are attached to the outputshaft of the stepping motors 255 e and 355 e, respectively. The timingbelts 255 f and 355 f are turnably stretched respectively by the pulleys255 g, 355 g and the pulleys 255 h, 355 h arranged on the front side(side on direction of arrow Y1) than the stepping motors 255 e, 355 e.Thus, when the stepping motor 255 e (355 e) is rotatably driven, thetiming belt 255 f (355 f) is turned between the pulley 255 g (355 g) andthe pulley 255 h (355 h). Part of the timing belt 255 f (355 f) isarranged to extend in the front and back direction (direction of arrowsY1 and Y2), and the movement portion 255 d (355 d) is attached to theportion arranged to extend in the front and back directions of thetiming belt 255 f (355 f) by an attachment 255 i (355 i) near the backend. The movement portion 255 d (355 d) then can be moved in the frontand back directions (direction of arrows Y1 and Y2) with the turning ofthe timing belt 255 f (355 f).

The first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) attached to themovement portion 255 d (355 d) and the second specimen setting portion255 b (355 b) can be moved to a predetermined position corresponding tothe operation of the measurement process by controlling the rotationaldrive of the stepping motor 255 e (355 e). Specifically, each ofspecimen setting portions can be arranged at the aspiration positions600, 700, the specimen set positions 610, 710, the priority specimen setpositions 620, 720, and the test tube presence detection positions 630,730 shown in FIG. 3 by the sample container transfer sections 255, 355.As shown in FIG. 3, each position above is on the movement path of thespecimen setting portion in the order of, from the front side (side ondirection of arrow Y1) of the blood analyzer 1, the priority specimenset position 620 (720) arranged on the front side than the front surfaceportion 241 (341) of the unit cover 24 (34), the specimen set position610 (710) arranged on the back side (side on direction of arrow Y2) thanthe front surface portion 241 (341), the test tube presence detectionposition 630 (730), and the aspiration position 600 (700).

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the sample containertransfer section 255 (355) is configured to, in plan view, pass theupper side of the conveyance path of the rack 110 and move each specimensetting portion to a predetermined position so that the movement portion255 d (355 d) is orthogonal to the conveyance path of the rack 110conveyed by the specimen conveying device 4. Specifically, as shown inFIG. 10, the movement portion 255 d (355 d) is arranged at a position H1higher than an upper end position H2 of the rack 110 conveyed by thespecimen conveying device 4, and is configured to be moved in the frontand back directions (direction of arrows Y1 and 2) at substantially thehorizontal direction. Each specimen setting portion attached to themovement portion 255 d (355 d) then can be conveyed to the predeterminedposition while continuing the conveying operation of the rack 110 by thespecimen conveying device 4.

The first specimen setting portions 255 a, 355 a have holding holes 255h, 355 j, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8, wherein the long vial 101(see FIG. 5) can be held in the holding holes 255 j, 355 j. Cutouts 255k, 355 k are formed at the side surface on the back side (side ondirection of arrow Y2) of the first specimen setting portions 255 a, 355a so that the rear side (side on direction of arrow Y2) of the holdingholes 255 j, 355 j is opened. Thus, the barcode 101 b (see FIG. 5 b)attached to the long vial 101 can be visually recognized from the outerside with the long vial 101 held in the first specimen setting portion255 a (355 a). The first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) isremovably attached to the adapter 255 c (355 c), and can be changed withother first specimen setting portion depending on the type of the longvial 101.

The second specimen setting portions 255 b, 355 b have upper holders 255l, 355 l and lower holders 255 m, 355 m, respectively. The secondspecimen setting portion 255 b (355 b) holds the upper side of themicrotube 102 (see FIG. 6) by the upper holder 255 l (355 l), and holdsthe lower side of the microtube 102 (see FIG. 6) by the lower holder 255m (355 m), so that the microtube 102 is held at two locations ofdifferent lengths, and thus can be held in a stable state. The upperholders 255 l, 355 l are formed with holding holes 255 n, 355 n,respectively, and separating portions 255 o, 355 o for dividing theupper holders 255 l, 355 l into two in the left and right directions(directions of arrow X1 and X2) are formed at the front and backportions of the holding holes 255 n, 355 n. The portion divided into twoin the left and right direction is supported by two supporting portions255 p, 355 p elastically deformable to the outer side direction,respectively. Thus, if the supporting portion 255 p (355 p) forsupporting the portion divided into two in the left and right directionsis bent in the outer side direction, the inner diameter of the holdinghole 255 n (355 n) can be changed, and as a result, a plurality of typesof microtubes 102 having different size can be held.

The lower holders 255 m, 355 m have holding holes 255 q, 355 q at aposition corresponding to the position of the holding holes 255 n, 355 nof the upper holders 255 l, 355 l in plan view, and hold the lower sideof the microtube 102 with the lower end of the microtube 102 inserted inthe holding holes 255 q, 355 q, respectively. Furthermore, the secondspecimen setting portion 255 b (355 b) is removably attached to theadapter 255 c (355 c), and can be changed with other second specimensetting portion so as to respond to the microtube 102 of the type thatcannot be responded with the flexural deformation of the supportingportion 255 p (355 p).

The barcode reader 256 (356) is configured to read the barcode 101 battached to each long vial 101, as shown in FIG. 5. The barcode reader256 (356) is also configured to read the barcode 101 while rotating thetarget long vial 101 in the horizontal direction by a rotating device(not shown) while being held at the first specimen setting portion 255 a(355 a). Even if the barcode 101 b of the long vial 101 is attached tothe opposite side with respect to the barcode reader 256 (356), thebarcode 101 b can be directed to the barcode reader 256 (356) side byrotating the long vial 101. The barcode 101 b of each long vial 101 isuniquely attached to each specimen, and is used to manage the analysisresult of each specimen, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 11, the fixing holder 27 (37) is configured to fixedlyhold the long vial 101 transferred to the aspiration position 600 (700).As shown in FIG. 12, the fixing holder 27 (37) is configured not tofixedly hold with respect to the microtube 102 transferred to theaspiration position 600 (700). When using the microtube 102, themicrotube 102 is stably held using the flexural deformation of thesupporting portion 255 p (355 p) of the second specimen setting portion255 b (355 b), as described above, and thus the fixing holder 27 (37)does not need to be used. The fixing holders 27 and 37 have a pair ofsandwiching parts 271, 371, slide rails 272, 372 arranged to extendhorizontally in the direction of arrows X1 and X2, and slidable members273, 373 slidably attached to the slide rails 272, 372, respectively, asshown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Furthermore, the fixing holders 27, 37 havestepping motors 274, 374, annular timing belts 275, 375, a plurality ofpulleys 276, 376, and position sensors 277, 377, respectively, as shownin FIG. 9.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the pair of sandwiching parts 271, 371 hasthe opposing side surfaces formed to a substantially V-shape in planview, so that the long vial 101 of different size, outer shape, and thelike can be responded. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the pair ofsandwiching parts 271 (371) is attached to the slidable member 273 (373)and is also attached to the timing belt 275 (375) by the coupling part278 (378). Thus, the pair of sandwiching parts 271 (371) are moved inthe horizontal direction integral with the slidable member 273 (373)with the turning of the timing belt 275 (375). The annular timing belt275 (375) is configured to turn while being guided by the plurality ofpulleys 276 (376) when the stepping motor 274 (374) is rotationallydriven. As shown in FIG. 9, the annular timing belt 275 (375) isturnably stretched so as to be a predetermined shape by the plurality ofpulleys 276 (376). Specifically, the timing belt 275 (375) is formed totwo upper and lower stages by folding back the portion arrangedextending horizontally in the directions of the arrows X1 and X2 by thepulley 276 (376). Thus, when the timing belt 275 (375) is turned, theupper portion and the lower portion of the two upper and lower stagesare moved in opposite directions, directions of arrows X1 and X2, withrespect to each other.

The coupling part 278 (378) attached to one of the pair of sandwichingparts 271 (371) is fixed at the upper portion of the two upper and lowerstages extending horizontally in the directions of the arrows X1 and X2.The coupling part 278 (378) attached to the other of the pair ofsandwiching parts 271 (371) is fixed to the lower portion of the twoupper and lower stages extending horizontally in the directions of thearrows X1 and X2. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the pair ofsandwiching parts 271 (371) are moved in the direction that the distancewith respect to each other becomes small when the timing belt 275 (375)is turned in the direction of arrow P1, and moved in the direction thatthe distance with respect to each other becomes large when the timingbelt 275 (375) is turned in the direction of arrow P2. Furthermore, thepair of sandwiching parts 271 (371) can be moved while maintaining thecenter position O of the region sandwiched by the pair of sandwichingparts 271 (371) at substantially the same position by being configuredas above. Thus, the pair of sandwiching parts 271 (371) are attached tothe timing belt 275 (375) by way of the coupling part 278 (378) suchthat the center position O of the region sandwiched by the pair ofsandwiching parts 271 (371) is substantially the same position as thelowered position of the pipette 211 (311) lowered in the verticaldirection when seen in plan view. The pair of sandwiching parts 271(371) are also configured to move so as to contact from both sides whilemaintaining substantially the same distance with respect to the longvial 101 transferred to the aspiration position 600 (700). Therefore,when seen in plan view, the center axis of the long vial 101 fixedlyheld by the pair of sandwiching parts 271 (371) can be substantiallycoincided with the lowered position of the pipette 211 (311).

The position sensor 277 (377) has a cutout and is formed to asubstantially U-shape. The position sensor 277 (377) is configured todetect the coupling part 278 (378) traversing the cutout. The CPU 51 aof the control device 5, to be hereinafter described, can judge theposition of the pair of sandwiching parts 271 (371) based on thedetection result of the position sensor 277 (377), and the number ofstepping of the stepping motor 274 (374).

The specimen setting portion open/close button 28 (38) is configured tobe pushed by the user when performing the measurement of the priorityspecimen measured in preference to the continuous measurement specimen(specimen to be measured continuously) accommodated in the long vial 101held at the rack 110.

The priority specimen measurement start button 29 (39) is configured tobe pushed by the user. When the user pushes the priority specimenmeasurement start button 29 (39) after setting the long vial 101 a orthe microtube 102 accommodating the priority specimen in the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) or the second setting portion 255b (355 b), the set long vial 101 or the microtube 102 is taken into themeasurement unit, and the measurement is started.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 15, the specimen conveying device 4 includes apre-analysis rack holder 41 capable of holding a plurality of racks 110accommodating the long vial 101 for accommodating the specimen beforebeing subjected to analysis, a post-analysis rack holder 42 capable ofholding the plurality of racks 1110 accommodating the long vial 101 foraccommodating the specimen after being subjected to analysis, a rackconveying unit 43 for linearly moving the rack 110 horizontally in thedirections of the arrows X1 and X2, a barcode reader 44, a presencedetection sensor 45 (see FIG. 4) for detecting the presence of the longvial 101, and a rack feed-out unit 46 for moving the rack 110 into thepost-analysis rack holder 42.

The pre-analysis rack holder 41 includes a rack feed-in unit 411, wherethe rack 110 held by the pre-analysis rack holder 41 is pushed out ontothe rack conveying unit 43 one at a time when the rack feed-in unit 411moves in the direction of arrow Y2. The rack feed-in unit 411 isconfigured to be driven by a stepping motor (not shown) arranged at thelower side of the pre-analysis rack holder 41. The pre-analysis rackholder 41 has a regulating part 412 (see FIG. 4) in the vicinity of therack conveying unit 43, and is configured to regulate the movement ofthe rack 110 so that the rack 110 that has once been pushed out onto therack conveying unit 43 does not return to the pre-analysis rack holder41.

The post-analysis rack holder 42 has a regulating part 421 (see FIG. 4)in the vicinity of the rack conveying unit 43, and is configured toregulate the movement of the rack 110 so that the rack 110 that has oncebeen moved into the post-analysis rack holder 42 does not return to therack conveying unit 43 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rack conveying unit 43 is configured to be ableto convey the rack 110 such that the specimen is conveyed to the firstprovision position 43 a for providing the specimen to the firstmeasurement unit 2 and the second provision position 43 b for providingthe specimen to the second measurement unit 3. Furthermore, the rackconveying unit 43 is configured to be able to convey the rack 110 suchthat the specimen is conveyed to a specimen presence check position 43 cfor the presence detection sensor 45 to check the presence of the samplecontainer 100 for accommodating the specimen and a read position 43 dfor the barcode reader 44 to read the barcode 101 b (see FIG. 5) of thelong vial 101 accommodating the specimen.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 15, the rack conveying unit 43 includes twobelts, first belt 431 and second belt 432, which can move independentfrom each other. The widths b1 and b2 (see FIG. 15) in the directions ofthe arrows Y1 and Y2 of the first belt 431 and the second belt 432 havea magnitude of smaller than or equal to half of the width B of thedirections of the arrows Y1 and Y2 of the rack 110, respectively. Thus,when the rack conveying unit 43 conveys the rack 110, the first belt 431and the second belt 432 are both arranged in parallel so as not toexceed the width B of the rack 110. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, thefirst belt 431 and the second belt 432 are formed to an annular shape,and are arranged so as to surround the rollers 431 a, 431 b, 431 c, andthe rollers 432 a, 432 b, 432 c, respectively. Projecting pieces 431 d,432 d is formed by twos at the outer peripheral part of the first belt431 and the second belt 432 so as to have an inner width w1 (see FIG.16) and w2 (see FIG. 17) slightly (e.g., about 1 mm) larger than thewidth W in the directions of the arrows X1 and X2 of the rack 110. Thefirst belt 431 is configured to move the rack 110 in the directions ofthe arrows X1 and X2 by being moved at the outer periphery of therollers 431 a to 431 c by the stepping motor 431 e (see FIG. 4) with therack 110 held at the inner side of the projecting piece 431 d. Thesecond belt 432 is configured to move the rack 110 in the directions ofthe arrows X1 and X2 by being moved at the outer periphery of therollers 432 a to 432 c by the stepping motor 432 e (see FIG. 4) with therack 110 held at the inner side of the projecting piece 432 d. The firstbelt 431 and the second belt 432 are each configured to be able to movethe rack 110 independent from each other.

The barcode reader 44 is configured to read the barcode 101 b attachedto each long vial 101 shown in FIG. 5, and to read the barcode 110 aattached to the rack 110. The barcode reader 44 is also configured toread the barcode 101 while rotating the target long vial 101 in thehorizontal direction by a rotating device (not shown) while beingaccommodated in the rack 110. Thus, even if the barcode 101 b of thelong vial 101 is attached to the opposite side with respect to thebarcode reader 44, the barcode 101 b can be directed to the barcodereader 44 side by rotating the long vial 101. The barcode 110 a of therack 110 is uniquely attached to each rack, and is used to manage theanalysis result of the specimen, and the like.

The presence detection sensor 45 is a contact type sensor, and includesa curtain-shaped contact piece 451 (see FIG. 4), a light emittingelement (not shown) for emitting light, and a light receiving element(not shown). The presence detection sensor 45 is configured such thatthe contact piece 451 is bent by contacting a detecting object to bedetected, and as a result, the light exited from the light emittingelement is reflected by the contact piece 451 and entered to the lightreceiving element. Therefore, when the long vial 101 to be detectedaccommodated in the rack 110 passes the lower side of the presencedetection sensor 45, the contact piece 451 is bent by the long vial 101,and the presence of the long vial 101 can be detected.

The rack feed-out unit 46 is arranged so as to face the post-analysisrack holder 42 with the rack conveying unit 43 in between, and isconfigured to move horizontally in the direction of arrow Y1. Thus, whenthe rack 110 is conveyed to between the post-analysis rack holder 42 andthe rack feed-out unit 46, the rack 110 is pushed and moved into thepost-analysis rack holder 42 by moving the rack feed-out unit 46 to thepost-analysis rack holder 42 side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 18, the control device 5 is configured by apersonal computer (PC) and the like, and includes a control unit 51 (seeFIG. 18) including CPU, ROM, and RAM, a display unit 52, and an inputdevice 53. The display unit 52 is arranged to display the analysisresult and the like obtained by analyzing the data of the digital signaltransmitted from the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurementunit 3. As shown in FIG. 19, the display unit 52 is configured todisplay a priority specimen measurement instruction screen 520 for theuser to perform input of a specimen identification number foridentifying the specimen, measurement item setting, and the like in themeasurement of the priority specimen that needs to be measured inpreference to other specimens.

The configuration of the control device 5 will now be described. Asshown in FIG. 18, the control device 5 is configured by a computer 500mainly configured by a control unit 51, a display unit 52, and an inputdevice 53. The control unit 51 is mainly configured by a CPU 51 a, a ROM51 b, a RAM 51 c, a hard disc 51 d, a read-out device 51 e, aninput/output interface 51 f, a communication interface 51 g, and animage output interface 51 h. The CPU 51 a, the ROM 51 b, the RAM 51 c,the hard disc 51 d, the read-out device 51 e, the input/output interface51 f, the communication interface 51 g, and the image output interface51 h are connected by a bus 51 i.

The CPU 51 a can execute computer programs stored in the ROM 51 b andthe computer programs loaded in the RAM 51 c. The computer 500 serves asthe control device 5 when the CPU 51 a executes the application programs54 a, 54 b and 54 c.

The ROM 51 b is configured by mask ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and thelike, and is recorded with computer programs to be executed by the CPU51 a, data used for the same, and the like.

The RAM 51 c is configured by SRAM, DRAM, and the like. The RAM 51 c isused to read out the computer programs recorded on the ROM 51 b and thehard disc 51 d. The RAM 51 c is used as a work region of the CPU 51 awhen executing the computer programs.

The hard disc 51 d is installed with various computer programs to beexecuted by the CPU 51 a such as operating system and applicationprogram, as well as data used in executing the computer program. Themeasurement process (1) program 54 a for the first measurement unit 2,the measurement process (2) program 54 b for the second measurement unit3, and the sample operation process program 54 c for the specimenconveying device 4 are also installed in the hard disc 51 d. When theCPU 51 a executes such application programs 54 a to 54 c, the operationof each portion of the first measurement unit 2, the second measurementunit 3, and the specimen conveying device 4 is controlled. Themeasurement result database 54 d is also installed in the hard disc 51d.

The read-out device 51 e is configured by flexible disc drive, CD-ROMdrive, DVD-ROM drive, and the like, and is able to read out computerprograms and data recorded on a portable recording medium 54. Theapplication programs 54 a to 54 c are stored in the portable recordingmedium 54, wherein the computer 500 reads out the application programs54 a to 54 c from the portable recording medium 54, and installs theapplication programs 54 a to 54 c in the hard disc 51 d.

The application programs 54 a to 54 c are not only provided by theportable recording medium 54, but are also provided throughcommunication line (wired or wireless) from external devicescommunicably connected with the computer 500 through the communicationline. For instance, the application programs 54 a to 54 c may be storedin the hard disc of the server computer on Internet, so that thecomputer 500 can access the server computer to download the applicationprograms 54 a to 54 c and install the same in the hard disc 51 d.

Operating system providing graphical user interface environment such asWindows (registered trademark) manufactured and sold by US Microsoft Co.is installed in the hard disc 51 d. In the following description, theapplication programs 54 a to 54 c are assumed to operate on theoperating system.

The input/output interface 51 f is configured by serial interface suchas USB, IEEE1394, RS-232C; parallel interface such as SCSI, IDE,IEEE1284; analog interface such as D/A converter, A/D converter, and thelike. The input device 53 is connected to the input/output interface 51f, so that the user can input data to the computer 500 by using theinput device 53.

The communication interface 51 g is, for example, Ethernet (registeredtrademark) interface. The computer 500 transmits and receives data withthe first measurement unit 2, the second measurement unit 3, thespecimen conveying device 4, and the host computer 6 by using apredetermined communication protocol by means of the communicationinterface 51 g.

The image output interface 51 h is connected to the display unit 52configured by LCD, CRT, or the like, and is configured to output animage signal corresponding to the image data provided from the CPU 51 ato the display unit 52. The display unit 52 displays the image (screen)according to the input image signal.

According to the above configuration, the control unit 51 analyzes thecomponent to be analyzed using the measurement results transmitted fromthe first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3, andacquires the analysis result (number of red blood cells, number ofplatelets, amount of hemoglobin, number of white blood cells, and thelike).

As shown in FIG. 5, the rack 110 is formed with ten containeraccommodating portions 110 b so as to accommodate ten sample containers100 in a line. Each container accommodating portion 110 b is providedwith an opening 110 c such that the barcode 101 b of the accommodatedlong vial 101 can be visually recognized.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart describing the measurement processing operationby the measurement process program of the blood analyzer according toone embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The measurement processing operation bythe measurement process programs 54 a and 54 b of the blood analyzer 1according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3and 20. The component to be analyzed is similarly measured in the firstmeasurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3, and thus a case ofmeasuring the component to be analyzed by the first measurement unit 2will be described below as a representative example.

First, in step S1, the specimen is aspirated by the specimen aspirationsection 21 from the sample container 100 conveyed to the aspirationposition 600 shown in FIG. 3. In step S2, the detection sample isprepared by the sample preparation section 22 from the aspiratedspecimen, and in step S3, the component to be analyzed is detected bythe detection section 23 from the detection sample. In step S4, themeasurement data is transmitted from the first measurement unit 2 to thecontrol device 5. Thereafter, in step S5, the component to be analyzedby the control unit 51 is analyzed based on the measurement resulttransmitted from the first measurement unit 2. The analysis of thespecimen is completed and the operation is terminated by step S5.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart describing the operation in the priority specimenmeasurement of the blood analyzer according to one embodiment shown inFIG. 1. FIGS. 22 to 25 are state diagrams for describing the operationin the priority specimen measurement of the blood analyzer according toone embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The operation in the priority specimenmeasurement of the blood analyzer 1 according to one embodiment will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 19, and 21 to 25. In thepresent embodiment, the first measurement unit 2 and the secondmeasurement unit 3 can measure the priority specimen independent fromeach other, and the operations in the priority specimen measurement inthe first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 are thesame. Therefore, the operations in the priority specimen measurement inthe first measurement unit 2 will be described herein as arepresentative example.

First, in step S101 shown in FIG. 21, the CPU 51 a judges whether or notthe specimen setting portion open/close button 28 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) ispushed, and repeats the judgment until the button is pushed. When thebutton is pushed, the movement portion 255 d is moved so as to projectout from the front surface portion 241 of the unit cover 24, and thefirst specimen setting portion 255 a and the second specimen settingportion 255 b are arranged at the priority specimen set position 620 instep S102, as shown in FIG. 22.

In step S103, the priority specimen measurement instruction screen 520is displayed on the display unit 52, as shown in FIG. 19. In step S104,the user inputs the specimen identification number and sets themeasurement items, and thereafter, the CPU 51 a judges whether or notthe OK button 520 a displayed on the priority specimen measurementinstruction screen 520 is pushed. This judgment is continued until theOK button 520 a is pushed. When the cancel button 520 b is pushed, thepriority specimen measurement instruction screen 520 is terminated. Whenthe OK button 520 a of the priority specimen measurement instructionscreen 520 is pushed, the CPU 51 judges whether or not the priorityspecimen measurement start button 29 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is pushed instep S105. The user sets the long vial 101 or the microtube 102accommodating the priority specimen in the first specimen settingportion 255 a or the second specimen setting portion 522 b after pushingthe OK button 520 a, and then pushes the priority specimen measurementstart button 29. This judgment is repeated if the priority specimenmeasurement start button 29 is not pushed, and if the button is pushed,the first specimen setting portion 255 a is moved to the test tubepresence detection position 630, and the presence of the long vial 101is detected by the presence detection section 26 in step S106, as shownin FIG. 23. The user sets the microtube 102 in the second specimensetting portion 255 b with the lid of the microtube 102 detached whenmeasuring the priority specimen accommodated in the microtube 102.

In step S107, the CPU 51 a judges whether or not the long vial 101 isset in the first specimen setting portion 255 a based on the detectionresult, where the first specimen setting portion 255 a is moved to theaspiration position 600 if the long vial 101 is set in step S108, asshown in FIG. 24. Thereafter, the long vial 101 held by the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a is sandwiched by the pair of sandwichingparts 271 of the fixing holder 27, and the long vial 101 is fixedly heldsuch that the center axis of the long vial 101 is at the loweredposition of the pipette 211. The pipette 211 is passed through thesealing lid 101 a, and inserted to the inside of the long vial 101.Specifically, the pipette 211 is lowered by the stepping motor 218,which is rotatably driven at a predetermined rotary torque, passedthrough the sealing lid 101 a, and thereafter, lowered until the distalend reaches the vicinity of the bottom portion of the long vial 101.After the blood in the long vial 101 is aspirated by the specimenaspiration section 21, the measurement of the priority specimen isperformed in step S110.

If the CPU 51 a judges that the long vial 101 is not set in the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a in step S107, the second specimen settingportion 255 b is moved to the aspiration position 600 in step S109, asshown in FIG. 25. The pipette 211 is inserted to the inside of themicrotube 102 held at the second specimen setting portion 255 b, andlowered until the distal end reaches the bottom portion of the microtube102. After the aspiration operation of the blood by the specimenaspiration section 21 is performed in this state, the process proceedsto step S110, and the measurement of the priority specimen is performed.The aspirating amount of blood in step S109 is less than the aspiratingamount of blood in step S108.

After the aspiration of blood is completed, the first specimen settingportion 255 a and the second specimen setting portion 255 b are moved tothe priority specimen set position 620 by the sample container transfersection 255 in step S111, as shown in FIG. 22. Thereafter, whether ornot the priority specimen measurement start button 29 is pushed isjudged in step S112. The user removes the long vial 101 or the microtube102, where the blood has been aspirated, from the first specimen settingportion 255 a or the second specimen setting portion 255 b, then setsthe long vial 101 or the microtube 102 accommodating a new priorityspecimen in the first specimen setting portion 255 a or the secondspecimen setting portion 255 b, and pushes the priority specimenmeasurement start button 29 to continuously perform the measurement ofthe priority specimen. When the user sets the long vial 101 or themicrotube 102 accommodating the new priority specimen in the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a or the second specimen setting portion255 b, and pushes the priority specimen measurement start button 29, theoperation proceeds to step S106, and the measurement of the nextpriority specimen is continuously performed.

If the priority specimen measurement start button 29 is not pushed, theCPU 51 a judges whether or not the specimen setting portion open/closebutton 28 is pushed in step S113. The user can terminate the measurementof the priority specimen by pushing the specimen setting portionopen/close button 28. If the specimen setting portion open/close button28 is not pushed, the judgments are repeated until either the priorityspecimen measurement start button 29 or the specimen setting portionopen/close button 28 is pushed. If the specimen setting portionopen/close button 28 is pushed, the movement portion 255 d is moved inthe direction of arrow Y2 to return the first specimen setting portion255 a and the second specimen setting portion 255 b inside the unitcover 24 of the first measurement unit 2 in step S114, and themeasurement operation of the priority specimen is terminated.

In the present embodiment, measurement of both the continuousmeasurement specimen that is continuously measured and the priorityspecimen that is measured in preference to the continuous measurementspecimen can be responded by providing the rack 110 configured to beable to hold a plurality of long vials 101 accommodating the continuousmeasurement specimen that is continuously measured, and the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) and the second specimen settingportion 255 b (355 b) configured to be able to hold the sample container100 accommodating the priority specimen that is measured in preferenceto the continuous measurement specimen as described above. The samplecontainer transfer section 255 (355) is provided to arrange the firstspecimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) and the second specimen settingportion 255 b (355 b) at the priority specimen set position 620 (720) bymoving the movement portion 255 d (355 d) so as to pass the upper sideof the long vial 101 held at the rack 110 at the position H1 higher thanthe upper end position H2 of the long vial 101 held in the rack 110,whereby a space occupied by the rack 110 and a space required when thefirst specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) and the second specimensetting portion 255 b (355 b) are moved to the priority specimen setposition 620 (720) are arranged to overlap each other in place viewwhile suppressing the first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) andthe second specimen setting portion 255 b (355 b) from interfering therack 110 in time of the movement of the movement portion 255 d (355 d).Thus, the planar required space can be reduced compared to the casewhere the two spaces are arranged so as not to overlap each other inplan view. As a result, the installation area of the blood analyzer 1can be reduced while responding to the measurements of both thecontinuous measurement specimen that is continuously measured and thepriority specimen that is measured in preference to the continuousmeasurement specimen.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the hand portion 251 (351) isconfigured to transfer the long vial 101 accommodating the continuousmeasurement specimen from the rack 110 to the first specimen settingportion 255 a (355 a) by moving the long vial 101 accommodating thecontinuous measurement specimen in the up and down directions (directionof arrows Z1 and Z2) at substantially the same position in plan view,whereby the long vial 101 accommodating the continuous measurementspecimen can be transferred from the rack 110 to the first specimensetting portion 255 a (355 a) in a minimum space in plan view, and thusthe installation area of the blood analyzer 1 can be further reduced.

In the present embodiment, the unit cover 24 (34) including the frontsurface portion 241 (341) is provided, and the CPU 51 a is configured soas to control the sample container transfer section 255 (355) such thatthe priority specimen set position 620 (720) is positioned on the frontside (direction of arrow Y1 side) than the front surface portion 241(341), the specimen set position 610 (710) is positioned on the backside (direction of arrow Y2 side) than the front surface portion 241(341), whereby the user can set the long vial 101 or the microtube 102accommodating the priority specimen with the first specimen settingportion 255 a (355 a) and the second specimen setting portion 255 b (355b) positioned on the front side than the front surface portion 241(341), and thus can easily set the long vial 101 or the microtube 102 atthe first specimen setting portion 255 a (355 a) or the second specimensetting portion 255 b (355 b). Furthermore, the user is prevented fromtouching the long vial 101 being transferred since the transfer of thelong vial 101 by the hand portion 251 (351) is carried out on the backside of the front surface portion 241 (341) on the side opposite to thefront side of the front surface portion 241 (341) on which the user ispositioned.

The embodiment disclosed herein is merely illustrative in all aspectsand should not be recognized as being restrictive. The scope of theinvention is defined by the claims rather than the description of theembodiment as described above, and the meaning equivalent to the claimsand all modifications within the scope are encompassed therein.

For instance, the blood analyzer is described as one example of ananalyzer in the present embodiment, but the present invention is notlimited thereto, and the present invention may be applied to otheranalyzers as long as the measurement of both the continuous measurementspecimen and the priority specimen can be responded.

Furthermore, an analyzer including two measurement units of the firstmeasurement unit and the second measurement unit is described as oneexample of an analyzer in the present embodiment, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto, and may be an analyzer including onemeasurement unit or an analyzer including three or more measurementunits.

The CPU, which is one of the control device, for controlling the samplecontainer transfer section and the hand portion of both the firstmeasurement unit and the second measurement unit, is described in thepresent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto,and a plurality of CPUs for controlling the sample container transfersection and the hand portion of the first measurement unit and thesecond measurement unit independently may be provided.

The movement portion configured to linearly move in the horizontaldirection is described as one example of a holder moving mechanism inthe present embodiment, but the present invention is not limitedthereto, and may be a holder moving mechanism configured to move in adiagonal direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction aslong as it is movable so as to pass the upper side of the continuousmeasurement specimen holder.

The hand portion configured to move in the up and down directions(direction of arrows Z1 and Z2) at substantially the same position inplan view is described as one example of a container transferringmechanism in the present embodiment, but the present invention is notlimited thereto, and may be a container transferring mechanismconfigured to move in a direction inclined with respect to the up anddown directions as long as the specimen container can be transferredfrom the continuous measurement specimen holder to the priority specimenholder.

The specimen aspiration section configured to adjust the lowering amount(lowered position) of the pipette depending on the type of specimencontainer is described as one example of an aspiration section in thepresent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto,and may be an aspiration section configured to adjust the aspiratingamount of the specimen depending on the type of specimen container.

Furthermore, the priority specimen holder including two specimen settingportions of the first specimen setting portion and the second specimensetting portion is described as one example of a priority specimenholder in the present embodiment, but the present invention is notlimited thereto, and may be a priority specimen holder including onlyone specimen setting portion or may be a priority specimen holderincluding three or more specimen setting portions.

An analyzer including separate unit covers for each measurement unit isdescribed as one example of an analyzer in the present embodiment, butthe present invention is not limited thereto, and may be an analyzerwithout an unit cover or may be an analyzer including one unit cover foraccommodating a plurality of measurement units.

The movement portion moved so as to intersect the conveyance path of thespecimen container by the conveying mechanism in plan view is describedas one example of a holder moving mechanism in the present embodiment,but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a holdermoving mechanism moved in parallel to the conveyance path of thespecimen container by the conveying mechanism.

1. An analyzer comprising: a first specimen holder configured to hold aplurality of first specimen containers accommodating a continuousmeasurement specimen to be continuously measured; a conveying assemblyfor conveying the first specimen containers held in the first specimenholder; a second specimen holder arranged at a position higher than anupper end of the first specimen containers held in the first specimenholder and configured to hold at least one of the first specimencontainers and a second specimen container accommodating a prioritymeasurement specimen to be measured in preference to the continuousmeasurement specimen; a holder moving assembly for moving the secondspecimen holder so as to pass the upper side of at least one of thefirst specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a containertransferring assembly for transferring at least one of the firstspecimen containers from the first specimen holder to the secondspecimen holder; and a controller for controlling the holder movingassembly and the container transferring assembly to execute steps of:raising at least one of the first specimen containers held in the firstspecimen holder to the upper side of the second specimen holder in astate the second specimen holder does not exist on the upper side,moving the second specimen holder to the lower side of the raised firstspecimen container, and setting the first specimen container in thesecond specimen holder by lowering the first specimen container.
 2. Theanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the second specimen holderincludes a first holder for holding the first and the second specimencontainers, and a second holder for holding the second specimencontainer when the second specimen container is a microtube, the secondholder being arranged on a front side of the analyzer than the firstholder.
 3. The analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising a frontsurface cover arranged on the front surface side of the analyzer;wherein the controller controls the holder moving assembly so that theposition where the first specimen container is set in the secondspecimen holder is on a back side of the analyzer than the front surfacecover.
 4. The analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the second specimenholder includes a holder for holding the second specimen container; andthe controller controls the holder moving assembly and the containertransferring assembly to execute further steps of: accepting aninstruction to move the second specimen holder, and moving the secondspecimen holder so that the holder is arranged on the front side of theanalyzer than the front surface cover.
 5. The analyzer according toclaim 1, wherein the holder moving assembly is configured to move thesecond specimen holder in a substantially horizontal direction at theupper side of the first specimen containers held in the first specimenholder.
 6. The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the holder movingassembly is configured to move the second specimen holder so as to besubstantially orthogonal to a conveyance path of the first specimencontainers by the conveying assembly in plan view.
 7. The analyzeraccording to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the conveyingassembly to execute further a step of: conveying the first specimencontainers held in the first specimen holder with the second specimenholder arranged at the position to be set with the second specimencontainer.
 8. The analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising adetection section commonly used in the measurement of both thecontinuous measurement specimen and the priority measurement specimen.9. The analyzer according to claim 8, wherein the continuous measurementspecimen and the priority measurement specimen are blood; and thedetection section is configured to detect blood cells in the blood. 10.The analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising an aspirationsection for aspirating the specimen from the first and the secondspecimen containers set in the second specimen holder; wherein theholder moving assembly is configured to move the second specimen holderto a position where the specimen is aspirated by the aspiration section.11. The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the second specimenholder, the holder moving assembly, and the container transferringassembly are arranged in plurals; and the analyzer further includes, aplurality of measurement units each including the second specimenholder, the holder moving assembly, and the container transferringassembly, a conveying device, including the first specimen holder andthe conveying assembly, for conveying the first specimen container tothe plurality of measurement units, and a control unit, including thecontroller, for controlling the plurality of measurement units and theconveying device.
 12. An analyzer comprising: a first specimen holderconfigured to hold a plurality of first specimen containersaccommodating a continuous measurement specimen to be continuouslymeasured; a conveying assembly for conveying the first specimencontainers held in the first specimen holder; a second specimen holderarranged at a position higher than an upper end of the first specimencontainers held in the first specimen holder and configured to hold asecond specimen container accommodating a priority measurement specimento be measured in preference to the continuous measurement specimen; anda holder moving assembly for moving the second specimen holder so as topass the upper side of at least one of the first specimen containersheld in the first specimen holder.
 13. The analyzer according to claim12, wherein the second specimen holder is configured to hold at leastone of the first specimen containers; and the analyzer further includes,a container transferring assembly for transferring at least one of thefirst specimen containers from the first specimen holder to the secondspecimen holder.
 14. The analyzer according to claim 13, wherein thecontainer transferring assembly is configured to transfer the firstspecimen container from the first specimen holder to the second specimenholder by moving the first specimen container in an up and downdirection at substantially the same position in plan view.
 15. Theanalyzer according to claim 12, wherein the second specimen holder andthe holder moving assembly are arranged in plurals; and the analyzerfurther includes, a plurality of measurement units each including thesecond specimen holder and the holder moving assembly, and a conveyingdevice, including the first specimen holder and the conveying assembly,for conveying the first specimen container to the plurality ofmeasurement units.
 16. An analyzer comprising: a first specimen holderconfigured to hold a plurality of first specimen containersaccommodating a continuous measurement specimen to be continuouslymeasured; a second specimen holder arranged at a position higher than anupper end of the first specimen containers held in the first specimenholder and configured to hold at least one of the first specimencontainers and a second specimen container accommodating a prioritymeasurement specimen to be measured in preference to the continuousmeasurement specimen; a holder moving assembly for moving the secondspecimen holder so as to pass the upper side of at least one of thefirst specimen containers held in the first specimen holder; a containertransferring assembly for transferring at least one of the firstspecimen containers from the first specimen holder to the secondspecimen holder; and an aspiration section for aspirating the specimenfrom the first and the second specimen containers set in the secondspecimen holder; wherein the holder moving assembly is configured tomove the second specimen holder to a position where the specimen isaspirated by the aspiration section.
 17. The analyzer according to claim16, further comprising a conveying assembly for conveying the firstspecimen containers held in the first specimen holder.
 18. The analyzeraccording to claim 16, wherein the second specimen holder includes afirst holder for holding the first and the second specimen containers,and a second holder for holding the second specimen container when thesecond specimen container is a microtube; and the holder moving assemblyis configured to move the second specimen holder between a positionwhere the specimen is aspirated from the specimen container held in thefirst holder by the aspiration section, and a position where thespecimen is aspirated from the specimen container held in the secondholder by the aspiration section.
 19. The analyzer according to claim16, wherein the second specimen holder, the holder moving assembly, thecontainer transferring assembly, and the aspiration section are arrangedin plurals; and the analyzer further includes, a plurality ofmeasurement units each including the second specimen holder, the holdermoving assembly, the container transferring assembly, and the aspirationsection, and a conveying device, including the first specimen holder,for conveying the first specimen container to the plurality ofmeasurement units.